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Texas blast leaves nearly 100-foot crater

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The West Fertilizer Co. is focused on "fact finding," not on pending lawsuits

Residents gather at a local hall hoping to get answers from officials

Investigators say the fire that led to blast wasn't sparked by natural causes

They are hunting for clues, including using shovels to dig through debris

Walls warped or blown off entirely, even ones made of brick. Roofs sunken in, if they are still visible at all. Garage doors lying in yards.

And, at the center of it all, a crater nearly 100 feet wide and 10 feet deep.

On Tuesday, the devastation from last week's explosions at a West, Texas, fertilizer distributor became more eerily apparent as officials offered new details and opened more roads around the town's hardest hit areas.

While the blast's lethal power was clear, many other questions remain.

Why did a fire start in the facility, which had shut down to workers for the day? How did that fire spark the massive explosion that tore through the northern part of town -- killing 14 people, including nine first responders, and injuring hundreds of others? What, if anything, could have been done to prevent the tragedy?

So far, investigators have eliminated the possibility that natural causes started the fire, but they haven't gone beyond that.

Photos:West, Texas: A community mourns

Photos:West, Texas: A community mourns

West, Texas: A community mourns – U.S. President Barack Obama attends a memorial service at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, on April 25. The memorial was held for those killed in the blast at a Texas fertilizer plant. Fourteen people, nearly all first responders, died in an explosion at the West Fertilizer Co. on April 17. See photos from the explosion.

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Photos:West, Texas: A community mourns

West, Texas: A community mourns – Photos of the fallen firefighters stand next to their coffins at the memorial on April 25.

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Photos:West, Texas: A community mourns

West, Texas: A community mourns – Mourners at the memorial on April 25.

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Photos:West, Texas: A community mourns

West, Texas: A community mourns – Coffins containing the remains of victims from the fertilizer plant explosion in the town of West, Texas, at a memorial on April 25.

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Photos:West, Texas: A community mourns

West, Texas: A community mourns – A firefighters honor guard stands before the coffins of fallen comrades on April 25.

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Photos:West, Texas: A community mourns

West, Texas: A community mourns – Firefighters salute as fire trucks and emergency vehicles pass under a flag before the memorial service on April 25.

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West, Texas: A community mourns – Firefighters lead the funeral procession for Capt. Kenneth "Luckey" Harris Jr. on Thursday, April 24, in West, Texas.

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Photos:West, Texas: A community mourns

West, Texas: A community mourns – Firefighters stand on the back of a firetruck that transported Harris' body to the Bold Springs Cemetery in West on April 24.

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Photos:West, Texas: A community mourns

West, Texas: A community mourns – Family and friends stand in front of Harris' casket at the cemetery on April 24.

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Photos:West, Texas: A community mourns

West, Texas: A community mourns – A bugler plays taps at a memorial ceremony at the site of the explosion in West on April 24.

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Photos:West, Texas: A community mourns

West, Texas: A community mourns – Pallbearers carry the casket of fallen firefighter Capt. Kenneth "Luckey" Harris Jr. after his funeral at St. Mary's Catholic Church of the Assumption in West, Texas, on April 24.

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Photos:West, Texas: A community mourns

West, Texas: A community mourns – A memorial is set up on Monday, April 22, outside a fire station for the firemen who perished in the explosion.

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Photos:West, Texas: A community mourns

West, Texas: A community mourns – Flowers are tied on a firetruck on April 22 as a memorial for the firemen who died while responding to the explosion.

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Photos:West, Texas: A community mourns

West, Texas: A community mourns – Vanna Wainwright and her daughter Breanna take part in an open air Sunday service on April 21. Members of the First Baptist Church held their service in an open air field after their church was damaged from the explosion.

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Photos:West, Texas: A community mourns

West, Texas: A community mourns – Local residents attend a commemoration ceremony on April 21 for those that perished during the fertilizer explosion.

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Photos:West, Texas: A community mourns

West, Texas: A community mourns – Local residents attend a ceremony in West, Texas, on April 21.

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West, Texas: A community mourns – Residents embrace after a Sunday service at St. Mary's Catholic Church on April 21, four days after the deadly explosion.

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West, Texas: A community mourns – Residents collect donations on Saturday, April 20.

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West, Texas: A community mourns – A candlelight vigil is held at St. Mary's Catholic Church in West, Texas, on Thursday, April 18.

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West, Texas: A community mourns – Eric Garcia, 12, cries during a candlelight vigil in West, Texas, honoring the victims of the explosion on April 18. More than 200 people were injured and 50 homes destroyed in the small town.

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Photos: West, Texas: A community mourns – People gather for a candlelight vigil at a church in West on April 18.

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West, Texas: A community mourns – Residents tend a prayer service at St. Mary's.

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West, Texas: A community mourns – A girl closes her eyes during the vigil.

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West, Texas: A community mourns – A young mourner is comforted during the vigil on April 18.

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West, Texas: A community mourns – People pray during a candlelight vigil at St. Mary's Church on April 18.

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West, Texas: A community mourns – Residents embrace after taking part in the vigil.

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West, Texas: A community mourns – A woman clasps her hands during the candlelight vigil on April 18.

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West, Texas: A community mourns – A young man holds a candle during the vigil.

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When not funneling in and out of the command center at West High School, federal, state and local officials spent Tuesday outside using shovels to methodically search for clues.

Assistant State Fire Marshal Kelly Kistner said investigators were starting in the least-damaged areas, hoping to determine the heat source or material that ignited the fire.

The West Fertilizer Company said its officials are focused on "fact finding," not lawsuits that may come after the blast.

"We continue to do everything we can to understand what happened to ensure nothing like this ever happens again in any community," the company said.

Residents of this tight-knit town of 2,800, meanwhile, tried to get back to normal, though the explosion is never far from their minds.

At the Pizza House on Oak Street, waitstaff and locals discussed the state of their homes while drinking their beers, trying to figure out how to deal with the fact their once quaint farming town now resembled a war zone.

Several hundred residents gathered Tuesday night at a Knights of Columbus hall, some of them standing because the place was so packed, hoping to get answers from officials.

They kept their tempers in check, though it was apparent many residents just want to go home.

Some who live in damaged residences in areas that have been opened up to traffic have gotten that chance.

On Tuesday -- two days before President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama head to Waco, about 18 miles south, for a memorial service at Baylor University -- some of them stood motionless on their front lawns, taking in the devastation.

Others kept busy sifting through what remained or trying to fix what they could. The sounds -- of trailers full of debris rolling by, or the buzz of power tools -- were reminders that, for some, life was moving on.